In January 2015 the College of the Environment’s Marketing and Communications team sent out surveys to more than 1,000 College faculty, research staff, and graduate students to better understand their interest in and perceptions of science communication, outreach, and engagement. The goal of the survey was to identify the most effective and targeted ways we can support scientists’ outreach efforts; in particular we wanted to both evaluate current resources and pinpoint new opportunities. Thank you to the over 300 people who filled out the survey.

Science communication survey key take-aways

• There is a broad desire to learn more about science communication resources—courses, services, and other support—offered by the College, around campus, and in the broader community.
• Inclusion of research staff and undergraduates, as well as integration with units, is of interest to many.
• While funding and time are cited as obstacles to communicating research to broader audiences, there is broad interest in opportunities to practice science communication, participate in trainings to sharpen science communication skills, and information about new science communication tools and resources.

College of the Environment staff continue to hone the science communication resources available to the College community. One of the most important things we can do is make scientists more aware of those resources, for example the College’s science communication web portal, the Amplify discussion series, and opportunities for one-on-one help for such activities as developing press releases, writing op-eds, and getting started on social media. If you are interested these types of resources, feel free to email us at coenvcom@uw.edu.

Fore a more comprehensive view at the feedback we received, take a look at the results of the College of the Environment’s science communications survey.